spouts out of its mouth. One has to keep close beside it-quite
underneath is the nicest of all. You can see it through the
window from where you are standing.'

And the Snow-man looked in that direction, and saw a smooth
polished object with a brass pipe. The flicker from the fire
reached him across the snow. The Snow-man felt wonderfully
happy, and a feeling came over him which he could not express;
but all those who are not snow-men know about it.

'Why did you leave her?' asked the Snow-man. He had a feeling
that such a being must be a lady. 'How could you leave such a
place?'

'I had to!' said the yard-dog. 'They turned me out of doors, and
chained me up here. I had bitten the youngest boy in the leg,
because he took away the bone I was gnawing; a bone for a bone, I
thought! But they were very angry, and from that time I have
been chained here, and I have lost my voice. Don't you hear how
hoarse I am? Bow-wow! I can't speak like other dogs. Bow-wow!
That was the end of happiness!'

The Snow-man, however, was not listening to him any more; he was
looking into the room where the housekeeper lived, where the
stove stood on its four iron legs, and seemed to be just the same
size as the Snow-man.

'How something is cracking inside me!' he said. 'Shall I never
be able to get in there? It is certainly a very innocent wish,
and our innocent wishes ought to be fulfilled. I must get there,